Lawinenlagebericht

East Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Sun
Hochgebirge
3 · Erheblich
Waldgrenze
3 · Erheblich
Unterhalb
2 · Mässig
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist last year abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

Fresh snow and winds will make it easy to trigger avalanches where the wind drifts snow into stiff slabs. Avoid steep slopes below corniced ridgelines and where you observe deep pillowlike drifts. Avalanches will be larger and more dangerous the closer you are to the Cascade Crest. Enjoy the new snow on lower angle terrain in wind-sheltered areas.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Likely
    Größe
    1–2

    With another round of snow and wind, you can expect fresh, sensitive wind slabs at all elevations. Avoid likely locations for wind slabs such as steep lee slopes below ridgelines and cross-loaded gullies. Cracks shooting out from your equipment, actively blowing snow, or recent avalanches are all important signs of unstable snow. You may also find smaller storm slabs in the western portion of the zone, in areas such as Salmon La Sac that will receive more snow. 

    Use visual clues such as textured surfaces, cornices, or drifts around rocks or trees to identify wind affected snow. Stick to wind-sheltered terrain or low angle slopes to avoid triggering avalanches while you enjoy the fresh snow.

    (2/7/2025)

    Cracking in this textured wind drift is a sign of unstable wind slabs and a signal to move to lower angle or sheltered slopes.

    Photo: Payton Schiff

Avalanche Discussion

After a brief break in the storm, clouds are just rolling in ahead of the next system. Expect light snow with moderate to strong winds throughout the day on Saturday, with significantly more snow farther west in the zone. Wind slabs will build quickly and we expect that there could be some natural wind slab activity at upper elevations in areas closer to the Cascade Crest during the day.  Thursday's older wind slabs are gaining strength, but this next storm will likely form fresh sensitive wind slabs. 

It has been a fairly dynamic few days in the backcountry. Before the storm on Wednesday, an NWAC Forecaster traveling in the Salmon La Sac drainage found fairly reactive and widespread 3-7" slabs sliding on a melt freeze crust formed around 03/05. You can read the full observation here. After the storm on Thursday, Mission Ridge Ski Patrol reported touchy conditions, releasing up to 2 ft deep wind slabs during morning control work. These slabs were also sliding on the same crust. With the lull being short lived, approach the backcountry with continued caution on Friday.

Persistent slabs continue to be an issue in the adjacent zone to the north. While we’ve put this problem to bed in the East Central, it’s worth considering in very northern portions or more far-flung parts of the zone. To reduce your risk, you can default to simpler terrain that is planar and short.

Submit an observation to help NWAC Forecasters reduce uncertainty. It can be short, simple, and even anonymous. 

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